Batch-box-hoisting apparatus



E. L. TRANAAS BATCH BOX jiOISTING APPARATUS Filed July 3. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 15, 1925- Filed Juiy 5, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z IM Win -s5.-

Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL L. TRANAAS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO KOEHRING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

BATCH-BOX-HOISTING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 3,

ing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has to do with what is known as batch box apparatus. In the art of handling materials such as concrete aggregates, transported in industrial railway cars which comprise the batch boxes as the car bodies, a crane is generally utilized to lift the batch boxes off of the car trucks when the cars reach the site where the concrete aggregates are to be used.

The object of the invention has been to design grappling and hoisting apparatus for the batch boxes, capable of being readily engaged therewith by a single operator, and additionally capable of lifting boxes from a position at a higher or lower elevation than the elevation at which the boxes are to be dumped.

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a crane, a batch box, and grappling, hoisting and dumping apparatus of my invention associated therewith.

Figure 2 is an end View of the batch box and certain parts of the hoisting and grappling apparatus showing more clearly features of construction not disclosed to best advantage in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the batch box and certain of the engaging barand other parts. 7

Figure 4 is a sectional View showing more clearly the stop hook on the mast of the crane before engagement of the stop therewith.

Figure 5 is a View like Figure 4:, excepting that the stop is in position to engage the stop hook.

In Figure 1 are best shown the various features of my apparatus. At 1 I designate the mast of any suitable crane comprising the said mast and a boom 2 braced by a guide rod 3, these parts being illustrated in, a fragmentary manner since they are conventional. The mast 1 is adapted to rotate in suitable bearings or brackets, one of which is shown at 4* in Figure 1, and upon whatever part is used to support the mast, the latter part- 1922. Serial No. 572,546.

not shown. The batch box 5 comprises a pair of bottom dumping doors 6, links 7 in the opposite ends of the box connected with the doors 6, and havingloops or eyes 8 forming connections for their upper ends. Hooks 9 engage in the eyes 8 and are adapted to be simultaneously handled or manipulated by being connected together rigidly by a handle or bail 10. On the sides of the door of the box 5 are keepers or loops 11 with which may be engaged the engaging bar 12. A fabricated channel structure comprises a cross piece or hoisting bar 13 equipped with a pair of grooved guide wheels 14, about which the hoisting cable 16 is looped, as best shown in Figure 1, said cable being attached at one end at 17 to the upper end or the boom 2, passed downwardly around one of the wheels 15, upwardly around a similar wheel 18 on the upper end of the boom, downwardly around a second of the Wheels 15, and upwardly over a similar wheel 19 on the boom 2, which is above the wheel 18. From the wheel 19 the cable 16 passes to a guide wheel 20 on a bracket 21 adjacent the mast 22, after which the cable is let off to any suitable power operated drum winding means by which the cable is wound in and let out. Attached to the engaging bar 12 as a sort of counterbalancing means therefor, is the chain-23 which has the branch chains 24 at one end directly connected to the bar 12, the other end of the chain 23 passing over a similar guide wheel 2% coaxial with the guide wheel 19, the chain thence passing over a similar guide wheel 25 on the bracket 22 and extending downward parallel to the mast 1 and having secured thereto the weights 26. The weights 26 may be guided by a guide rod 27, if desired, and the chain 23 carries a stop 28 adjustable thereon. As seen in Figure 1, there is located in a stationary position adjacent to the mast 1 a hook or abutment 29, see also Figures 4 and 5. This hook or abutment 29 is located so that under certain conditions it cooper-- ates with the stop 28 on the chain 23, and under other conditions there is no cooperation, during movement of the chain.

The operation of the invention may now be described. \Ve shall assume that in Figure 1 the batch box is located above the truck of the industrial car of which it forms the body, and an operator has by manipulation of the engaging bar 12, en-

gaged it with the keepers 11, and b manipulation of the handle l0 has engaged the hooks 9 with the loops or eyes 8. By inhaul on the cable 16, and further assuming that the parts have the relative ar rangement of Figure at, there is an upward pull upon the lifting bar or cross piece 13 and lowering of the stop 28, and in this way the batch box 5 through the connections between the member 13 and the hooks 9 may be readily lifted oil of the industrial car. lVhen'so raised the batch box 5 may be swung into a position over a skip or other receptacle into which it is to be discharged, by turning the mast l and swinging the boom 2 which is carried thereby. When the batch box hasbeen swung into its dumping position just referred to, the chain 23 will be received by the hook 29, with the stop 28 beneath the latter, and the degree of swinging being illustrated somewhat by the positions of the chain in Figures i and 5. By letting out on the cable 16 after the chain 23 has entered the hook 29, and after the box 5 is of course in its dumping position, the supporting or lifting bar 13 will'be lowered, lowering the box 5 and pulling downwards on the chain 23. This action-raises the stop 28 and when the stop 28 reaches the hook 29 lowering movement of the box is stopped by the discontinuance of downward movement of the engaging bar 12; Thereupon the continued letting out of the cable 16 permits the doors 6 to move downwards whilst the box 5 is stationary, thereby dumping the boxand emptying An inhaul of the cable 16 after the dumping operation described first raises the doors 6 to closed position and then causes the box 5 to beraised during whichoperation the counterbalancing weights 26 move downwards, as well as the stop 28. The crane may then swing the box back to its position over the'truck of the industrial car, the chain 23 disengaging tromthe hook 29, and the box may be lowered until it rests on the'truck, whereupon the operator will disengage the parts 9 and 12 from the co-aeting parts of the box 5, and thus release the cables and hoisting equipment from the batch box.

As above suggested the primary purpose of the weights 26 is to counterbalance the bar 12 so that the latter will always hand and available to be grasped by the operator to engage it with the keepers 11 on the box Obviously the apparatus described is one wherein the batch box is lifted from a position at a higher or lower elevation than the elevation at which the box is to be dumped.

The hook 29 is adjustable verticallyof the mast, being held in position thereon by any suitable clamps at held by bolts. It will be obvious, therefore, that the hook 29 may be elevations than the particular elevation at which the batch box or boxes must be dumped. By adjusting the hook 29 to a lower position relatively to the mast 1, and correspondingly adjusting the stop 28 on the chain 23, the derrick can pick up the boxes at a still lower elevation thanaccording to the arrangement which is illustrated, the dumping of the bucket of course being always controlled by the position of the hook 29. The maximum height at which the boxes may be pickcd'oli' 01'? the cars, or the car trucks, more precisely speaking, is only dependent upon the height of the derrick mast 1'.

Havingthus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is,

1'. In combination, a crane comprising a boom, a mast on which said boom is hung equipped with a stationary hook, a dumping box for carrying a batch of material from one place to another and having dumping means for discharging the material therefrom, grappling devices for the said box, hoisting means on the crane connected with said devices and' including a tlexible part movable up and down as the box is moved up and down, and a stop member carried by said flexible part adaptedto be thrown into and out of cooperative relation to the said hook by a swinging movement of the crane substantially as described.

2; In. an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a batch box comprising dumping doors and keepers carried by the sides of said box, grappling and hoisting means for the batch box including an engaging bar cooperative with the keepers on the sides of the batch box, hoisting cable controlled engaging parts ac'lapted to beconnected with the doors of the batch box, counterbalancing means connected with said engaging bar that cooperates with the said keepers, and means to limit the movement of the counterbalancing means to correspondingly limit the movement of the batch box, whereby the doors of the batch box may be permitted to move after the batch box IHOYGIYIODt is stopped.

In apparatus of the class described in combination a crane comprising a boom adapted to swing laterally, grappling and hoisting means operated with said crane and including a batch box engaging bar, a batch box with which said engaging bar cooperates and comprising doors movable independently of the box movement. a hoisterable to lift the box and doors and to lower the box and doors, and means cooperating with said engaging bar when the boom is swung to a predetermined position to limit the movement of said bar and thereby stop the movement of the box whilst the hoisting means connected with the doors of the box permit further movement of said doors to open the same.

4. In combination, a batch box comprising separate movable doors for dumping the same, a crane for hoisting the batch box and for carrying it to a dumping position, hoisting means associated with the crane and comprising parts connected to the dumping doors of the batch box, and other parts connected with the batch box itself, means to counterbalance the last mentioned parts, and means to limit the movement of the last mentioned parts cooperating with the counterbalancing means whereby to stop the movement of the box at a certain time, and permit the, hoisting means to relieve pull upon the parts connected with the doors of the box, whereby the latter may be caused to open on stopping of the box movement.

In combination, a crane comprising a mast and boom adapted to swing laterally, a batch box comprising dumping doors, hoisting and grappling means for said box including a block and tackle device detachably connected with the doors, and an en gaging bar detachably connected with the box, counterbalancing means on the c 'ane connected with the engaging bar so that during movement of the box the bar may move therewith up and down, and stopping devices cooperative with said counterbalancing means as the block and tackle means permits the batch box to be lowered, where by at a predetermined point in the downward movement of the box the engaging bar and stopping devices prevent further movement oi the box and the block and tackle on further operation permits additional independent movement of the doors of the box to open the same and means to render the stopping devices operative only after the crane has been operated to move the batch box into a position for dumpin 6. In combination, a. crane comprising a boom, a mast on which said boom is hung equipped with a stationary hook, a dumping box for carrying a batch of material from one place to another and having dumping means for discharging the material therefrom, grappling devices for the said box, hoisting means on the crane connected with said devices and including a flexible part connected with the box and movable up and down as the box is raised and lowered, a counterbalance weight attached to said part to cause such movement, and a stop member adjustably fixed to said part to engage the hook at a predetermined the hoisting or lifting bar and the doors or point in such up and down movement whereby to act in cooperation with the grappling device to cause a discharge of the bucket.

7. In combination, a crane comprising a mast and a laterally swinging boom, a batch box comprising dumping doors, an engaging bar detachably connected with the batch box, a counter-balancing device attached to said engaging bar, hoisting means compris ing a cable suspended from the boom and a hoisting or lifting bar with which the cable is movably connected, connections between .1!

the box whereby the box may be raised and lowered at will through the operation of the cable, and a hook carried by the mast and coacting with the counterbalancing means to limit the movement thereof and thereby limit the downward movement of the box as it is lowered by the cable, so that at a predetermined time the movement of the box may be discontinued as the cable operates, and the movement of the doors of the box permitted independently of the latter to discharge the contents of said box.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a batch box comprising dumping doors, hoisting means including grappling devices for engaging the box to raise and lower the same, an abutment member on the mast, adjustable stop means connected with the box and coacting with said abutment to limit its movement toward dumping position at a predetermined point in such movement, the hoisting means coacting to cause opening action of the doors whilst the box remains stationary under action of the adjustable stop means and abutment for eifecting a dumping operation.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a batch box comprising a body and dumping doors, hoisting means including grappling devices connected with said doors, and stop means including a grappling part connected with the body of the box to limit the movement oi? said box body in a downward direction toward dumping position while the box is being controlled in its movement by the hoisting means, and means to adjust said stop means to determine the point in the movement of the box when the hoist-ing means will release or open the doors to affect dumping, together with a member on the mast to coact with the stop means when the latter is shifted by movement of the batch box.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a batch box comprising a body and dumping doors, grappling and hoisting means for the box, including a member engageable with the box and including parts connecting the hoisting means with the doors of the box, a stop contrivance connected with the member engaged with the box and having a stop thereon, and being adapted to move upwards and downwards as an incident to the movement of the box under the influence of the hoisting means, and a stationary member co-operative with the stop of the stopping contrivance at a predetermined point in the movement of the box to detain the box against movement and permit the doors to open as an incident to movement of the hoisting means.

ll. Means substantially as claimed in claim 10, wherein the stationary means embodies a part to be engaged and disengaged relatively to the stopping contrivance incident to swinging of the box horizontally by the grappling and hoisting means aforesaid, and mechanism supporting the grappling and hoisting means for horizontal swinging movement.

12. Means substantially as claimed in claim 10, wherein the stationary means consist of a hook part co-operative with the stop on the stopping contrivance, and the stopping contrivance includes a flexible part connected with the box, and on which the stop is adjustable, so as to maintain a predetermined relation between said stop and the stationary means or part, and means for swinging the hoisting and grappling devices to move the stop into and out of cooperative relation.

13. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a crane comprising a mast and a boom adapted to swing horizontally, batch box mechanism including a hoisting cable operated by the crane for hoisting a batch box and having grappling means to connect with the doors of said box, stop mechanism associated with the cable hoisting means and including a member engageable with the body of a batch box, and a flexible part attached to said member and operating upwardly and downwardly as an incident to upward and down ward movement of the box, a stop on said flexible member movable vertically there- 'ith, and a stationary part adapted to engage and disengage with the flexible part aforesaid, as an incident to swinging movement of the boom and its hoisting and grappling parts, in a horizontal plane, to cause said stop to co-operate with said stationary part to control a point of dumping of the batch box by limiting the movement of the body of the latter whilst its doors move to open, the stationary part and the said stop being relatively adjustable.

14:. Means substantially as claimed in claim 13, combined with counterbalaneing ieans connected with the flexible part so as to compel it to move up and down in a vertical manner with its stop as the grappling and hoisting means are correspondingly moved in handling the batch box.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EMIL L. TRANAAS. 

